Safe Disposal of Ash from Fireplaces, Woodstoves and Barbecues

Residents are reminded to never put out ashes from fireplaces for collection with their regular household trash unless they have been thoroughly soaked with water in a metal ash bucket with a tight fitting metal lid and designed for that purpose, or held in place for at least a week to ensure there are no residual embers. Store any container holding ash outside, away from structures, decks, fences, wood piles or other combustible materials. Ashes retain enough heat to ignite other combustible materials for several days after a fire.

Cooled ashes may be brought to the Shady Grove Road Processing Facility and Transfer Station, for disposal in specifically-designated ash containers. The Transfer Station is located at 16101 Frederick Rd., Derwood (off Rt. 355 at Shady Grove Rd.).

When delivering ash, residents are asked to use the Frederick Rd. (Rt. 355) entrance just south of Shady Grove Rd. The Transfer Station's Public Unloading Facility (PUF) -- also called the "Car Ramp" -- has several steel drums marked specifically for ash disposal. The drums are located between trash drop-off bays. DSWS staff verifies that the ash has cooled off before taking it to the rubble drop-off area for disposal.

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